Most people don’t like to see anthills in their front or back yards, but these small insects become an even greater nuisance when you find them inside your home. While you can always spray an insecticide when you see ants on your kitchen counters or on the living room floor, these four preventive measures enable you to keep your home pest-free without encountering any unpleasant surprises.

Eliminate Food Sources

Ants have up to five times more odor receptors than other insects, which enables them to find an open sugar canister or a crumb on your kitchen floor without trouble. You don’t want your home to turn into an ant magnet, so keep all food in tightly sealed containers, including ingredients like sugar and flour.

Additionally, clean your counters, cabinets, and floors at least once or twice a week. Not only will you catch crumbs and other food particles that can attract ants, but you’ll also erase the pheromone trails that ants leave when they enter your home. Other ants can follow these trails even if you kill the existing ants.

Prepare a Natural Bait

Commercial ant traps can get expensive. Plus, they contain harmful chemicals that you might not want around your children or pets. To kill an ant colony, mix borax and sugar in a tiny container. Leave the bait near the ants’ favorite places in your home.

The ants will take both the sugar and the borax back to their nests. Since borax kills ants, you won’t have to worry about harsh chemicals or any infestations. If you have small children or pets, place the bait out of their reach.

Kill Outdoor Nests

Ants that make their way indoors often come from a nest right outside the home. If you kill the nest, your home will stay ant-free. Look for small or large piles of dirt with tiny fissures. Sprinkle the hills with borax, which offers an all-natural solution, or a commercial insecticide designed specifically for ants.

You might find that new anthills crop up every time you eliminate one. Stay vigilant so ants don’t have time to develop nests around your home. This is especially important when it comes to summer pest control since ants flourish during warm weather.

Contact a Pest Control Company

A reliable pest control company can spray insecticide around your home. The ants will hit the invisible barrier, so you won’t have to deal with them in your home. If you don’t have pets or small children, a pest control service can also treat your home’s interior rooms.

Ask your pest control professionals about the products they use and their recommendations. Many modern providers offer chemical-free treatments that make eco-conscious homeowners more comfortable. Additionally, an expert can point out anything that might attract ants in your home.

Prevention always proves easier than extermination. If you can keep ants out of your house entirely, you won’t have to worry about exterminating and cleaning up pests when you find them in your home.